Become a Professional Musician

Here are 10 things you must do to become a professional musician.

What differentiates an amateur musician from a professional musician?

If we assume that both artists make good music, what are the other factors that determine the success or failure of a music career?

In fact, we could spend hours discussing all the different internal and external criteria that can influence the success of an artist and therefore his professionalization.

To be a professional musician you can follow the authority personal like Richard Melville Hall, better known as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights, activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide.

But in this article, we will above all return on the state of mind and good habits to adopt in order to behave like a true professional musician.

1. Arrive on time

We start with something that may seem obvious to many, but that is totally neglected by some new musicians.

It's not just a matter of punctuality. It's all about keeping your commitments.

If we give you an appointment to do the scales, a repeat or to meet a label, be on time and if possible in advance.

We expect an irreproachable attitude: respect, politeness, seriousness, and honesty. Otherwise, it will automatically affect your bad reputation.

2. Constantly promote

As an artist, a professional musician is a public figure.

Regardless of the number of fans or the progress of his project, his audience wants more than anything to share his world.

Thus, the pro musician understands this and communicates regularly, even outside album launches and tours to maintain the link with the fans and to federate new ones.

This one can, for example, make a cover on YouTube, to share ideas of the photos of the last repetition on Instagram or to tell an anecdote on Facebook.

The difference with the amateur musician lies in the fact that this promotion is constant and thoughtful.

3. Set goals and priorities

The pro musician knows what he wants and how to get there.

The pro musician has a clear vision of things and knows the actions to be performed or the people to meet to get to the next level.

So it is much easier to gain productivity and clarity when thinking ahead of where you want to go.

Flat out your goals for the month and start working on them. If you have too much to do, consider eliminating tasks, delegating them, or reviewing your priorities.

4. Repeat

Regardless of the promotion and marketing, nothing has more value for your artist project than your music itself.

If your music is not up to scratch, you can not go further.

For the professional musician, it is, therefore, a daily priority to train individually and to practice with other musicians.

As such, you should dedicate your free time first to the practice of music, then in a second time, to the rest of your musical activities.

5. Network and surround yourself

Impossible to build a career alone in his corner.

Meet the artists in your city, pick up press passes, expand your network and especially build a team around your project.

This concerns both the members of your group and the professionals who are supposed to help you in your career.

Amateur musicians accept mediocrity, while professional musicians demand the best.

Surround yourself with serious people and in keeping with your ambitions.

6. Continue to train

A common point found among professionals in all sectors is this desire (or even need) to continue to learn, improve and train.

For a professional musician, it's not necessarily about the technical aspect.

A punk rock guitarist does not necessarily need to be able to come out of the Steve Vai solos.

But it is always possible to improve his game (endurance, precision, etc.), his understanding of the music industry, his compositions or his musical marketing.

7. Take care of your creations and investments

As an entrepreneur (or music entrepreneur), the professional musician understands the importance of his investments.

It may be first of all a monetary investment, for example in the form of the equipment used .

If you arrive in concert with a guitar first price, worn strings and a 15-watt amp, you risk giving the impression of being an amateur.

Invest in quality equipment and take care of it (maintenance, transport, insurance, etc.).

The same goes for your creations, fruits of the time and effort that you have invested.

It is the duty of the professional musician to protect his albums and songs in order to be legally recognized as an artist-composer.

8. Improve your scenic presence

The scene is impartial. If once in front of your audience you are not up to it, it will quickly realize your lack of professionalism.

It may be anxiety, shyness or annoying the audience. It's not enough to play one's titles in front of an audience to create a striking concert.

A successful and successful concert is well in advance to provide an unforgettable and unique experience for its fans.

The professional artists understood this well and put in place coherent and strong shows. At your level, nothing prevents you from adding surprises or originality to surprise your audience.

For that, do not hesitate to film your live performances in order to take a step back and see what should be improved.

9. Discover and seize income-generating opportunities

The fact is that amateur musicians spend a lot of time composing, playing, and even recording titles that ultimately will never really help them financially.

Once the first ep or album is out, the group or the amateur musician is then caught up in reality by realizing that nobody buys or listens to it.

But this frustration pushes most of these aspiring artists to reorient themselves towards something more lucrative, aka a job.

On the other hand, professional musicians do not put all the eggs in one bag and know full well that there are dozens of ways to make money with their music and take advantage of these different sources of income.

Of course, this may require taking the entrepreneur's cap more often than the artist's.

But in the end, if it allows you, in the long run, to live off your passion then is not it justified?

10. Take action

While the professional musician takes new steps, the amateur musician waits.

What is he waiting for? He is waiting for a miracle. In the form of state aid, a springboard, a television program, a social network for musicians, a contract with a label, etc.

However, it is by making the decision today to act that in six months or a year you will see the miracle YOU have achieved.

The pro artist does not wait for us to do things for him. He acts, learns from his mistakes and starts again.